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REVIEWED

SPONSORED BY

Equinox Hypnos

By Mike Stead.

I was lucky enough to get a preview of the new Equinox Hypnos lighting fixture from The Prolight Concepts Group long before anyone else. I spotted it on Prolight’s website and thought ‘wow this looks different!’, so put in a quick call to my rep. He was then kind enough to bring the only one Prolight had until the main shipment landed and let me try it out here at my shop, Phase One in Darlington. If you don’t ask, you don’t get! Of course, I also promised to do one of my infamous Mike @ Phase One videos!!

As soon as I got my hands on the unit I could see that it is a well-built bit of kit. With a solid metal casing, it just feels as if it has been nicely made and will withstand a life on the road without dropping to bits! The other thing that struck me was the size of the unit. The fixture’s width (left to right as you look at it from the front) is only 10 inches across including the bracket, which means it is not going to fill too much space on your lighting bar. It is also nice and light at only 3.4kg, despite that tough metal case. Put simply, it’s a small fixture with a big effect!

And it’s actually the effect that the Hypnos creates that really caught my attention. Probably the best way to describe it is like a water ripple effect that changes colour and moves to create the impression of a tunnel when projected on the wall. The fixture features six lenses that are arranged on the front in a honeycomb configuration that rotates to give the effect its unique movement. Inside it features a selection of different textured glass patterns that generate the unit’s eye-catching collection of hypnotic effects. It is really like nothing I have seen from a lighting effect before, it’s quite unique.

The Hypnos has the usual features you would expect from a DJ lighting fixture of this quality. Power is provided by an IEC input socket and the unit also has an IEC output socket so you can link the power to another fixture saving on cable runs. The unit is compatible with DMX control via 3-pin XLR connection and offers a choice between 10 and 34 channels, giving you loads of flexibility using DMX.

It’s also ideal for standalone operation and you can access the 13 built-in show modes via the LED display and a corresponding set of four push buttons located on the back. This also gives you access to the speed settings for each show as well as DMX addressing and mode selection. The Hypnos also has a ¼” jack socket on the back, which can be used to connect a CA-8 hand controller (available as a separate purchase). I tried using the CA-8 control and it was handy to black the fixture out, however the other functions – like program select and speed control – were a bit fiddly and I found it easier just to use the menu on the fixture.

The unit is powered by six 15-watt RGBW LEDs which gives an impressive total of 90 watts. I wanted to see how well this fixture would project, so for a bit of fun I took it home and decided to project it across my street at home and onto my white car! It looked stunning and half of my neighbours came out to see what I was up to and were all very impressed. The effect on the car was mesmerising and, even better, it projected across the street and filled the gable end on one of my neighbours’ houses with sweeping colours creating a brilliant effect. Everyone who came out in the street was amazed with it and I think I may win this year’s Christmas lights competition! I filmed the Hypnos projecting on my car and it can be found on the Phase One DJ store Facebook page!!

The effect is perfect for mobile DJs to project across the ceilings, walls and floors of any venue and would look particularly effective used in a marquee. We have also had a few customers buy this unit for permanent installation, and they have been thrilled with the effect. One particular venue that is local to our store installed one pointing at a feature wall that is painted with a skull that looks a bit like a tattoo. When they project the Hypnos on to it, the effect is amazing and really makes the painted skull come to life.

The Hypnos is truly unique, and very different to anything else on the market. And, with many venues not allowing smoke or haze, this is one of those fixtures that still creates an impressive effect even in a completely smoke-free room. In the shop the reaction from customers has been nothing short of ‘wow’, which of course is what we love to hear. The Hypnos gets a big 10 out of 10 here at Phase One, and – to witness its unique effects for yourself – be sure to check our YouTube video!